Apparatus for the fluid treatment of thread or sheet-like fabric

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and method for the treatment of thread or sheet-like fabric with fluids wherein a drum upon which the thread or fabric is supported in a container, and a trough for pre-treatment of the material is associated with the container.

tes atet Vorderbruegge et a1.

Assignee: Heberlein & Co.

APPARATUS FOR THE FLU :lil? TREATMENT OF THREAD R SHEET- LIKE FABRIC Inventors: Hermann Vorderbruegge, Senrre I Post Windelsbleiche; Ludwig MehrmamPflm l b th QfQQUTEQY AG., Watturl, Canton of St. Gall, Switzerland Filed: Nov. 18, 1970 Appl. No.: 90,640

Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 24, 1969 Germany ..P 19 58 867.1

11.8. C1 ..68/150 Int. Cl. ..B05c 8/02 Sept. 5, 1972 [58] Field of Search ....68/7, 8, 150,189;8/154, 155, 8/155.l, 155.2, 151

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,476,501 11/1969. Lorenz et al ..68/ X 3,262,291 7/1966 Cole ..68/150 Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Attorney-Ward, McElhannon, Brooks & Fitzpatrick [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus and method for the treatment of thread or sheet-like fabric with fluids wherein a drum upon which the thread or fabric is supported in a container, and a trough for pre-treatment of the material is associated with the container.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing figures APPARATUS FOR THE FLUID TREATMENT OF THREAD R SHEET-LIKE FABRIC This invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating threads of sheet-like material such as webs of textile fabric, and more particularly, to such method and apparatus wherein the material to be treated is wound on the perforated jacket of a rotatable hollow drum from which to receive treatment medium.

In our copending application Ser No. 90,699 filed Nov. 18, 1970, we describe apparatus according to which one may wind the material to be treated onto a drum outside the storage container, and then to insert the drum with the wound-up material into the storage container and to support it there either fixedly or in a rotatable manner. It is also taught to form perforations in the jacket of the drum and to feed the treatment medium to the interior of the drum by means of a hollow journal. The treatment medium then penetrates through the perforations of the jacket of the drum into the wound-up material from where it is exhausted into the storage container. The treatment medium is then extracted from the storage container and again introduced into the interior of the drum so that a forced circulation takes place.

It is also known with closed or open treatment apparatus to effect forced circulation in reverse direction. In this case, the treatment medium enters into the wound-up material from the container, and from there, passes into the interior of the drum, is extracted from the interior of the drum by means of a pump, and is again transported into the container.

With apparatus as thus far described, the material to be treated reacts to the forces created during wetting by shrinkage or swelling, as the case may be, within limits imposed by the fact that the movement of the material is restricted due to its wound-up condition.

Accordingly, we contribute, by the present invention, a method and apparatus for the treatment of textile materials in which the forces appearing in the material to be treated during wetting can be controlled, whereby the stresses imposed on the wound-up material are accordingly smaller than can be achieved by methods and apparatus well known in the art.

Essentially, we resolve this problem by associating with the storage container an immersion trough filled with the treatment medium, and by winding the material onto the drum after passage through the immersion trough.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the storage container is filled with treatment medium to such an extent that the contact line of the advancing material with the material roll is situated beneath the level of the treatment medium whereby, wetting and impregnating are intensified; and at the same time, removal of air from the material is achieved to a very large extent. Furthermore, one benefits by the buoyan cy forces of the treatment medium acting on the rotating, wound-up material.

According to the present invention, the material to be treated is passed through the immersion trough in one layer. By this method, appearing tensions resulting inter alia from shrinkage or swelling can be controlled while the fabric passes through the immersion trough. As will be appreciated, the use of an immersion trough has particularly advantageous effects when dyeing because the dye is distributed on the fabric more regularly.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partly broken away, of treatment apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the storage container with the rotatable drum therein in longitudinal section; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line IIIIII of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown an immersion through 1 and a storage container 2 in which a perforated drum 3 is rotatably supported by journals 17 (FIG. 2). The textile fabric 4 is introduced into the immersion trough 1 over rollers 5 and 8 which cause its path to deviate as desired, expanding rollers 6 and 7, positioned between rollers 5 and 8, the trough 1 being filled with a treatment liquid or with a circulated rinsing liquid, for example. In the present illustrative embodiment, the immersion trough contains three more or less vertically spaced deviation rollers 9, 10 and 11, which lead the fabric 4 through the treatment fluid, as shown in FIG. 1. Between the immersion trough and the storage container, a deviation roller 12 is provided about the longitudinal axis of which two further deviation rollers 15, 16 situated at different levels and coupled with each other by means of lappets 13, M may be swivelled. The storage container 2 is filled with treatment liquid so that the contact line between the material to be wound-up and the material drum 3 lies beneath the level of the treatment liquid. From there, the fabric width is wound onto the drum 3 which, according to FIG. 1, rotates in counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow A.

A drive motor for the drum 3 may preferably be regulated so as to rotate at different speeds of revolution. This makes possible the application of higher revolution speeds during removal of the fabric from the container than during the treatment period within the storage container. The storage container 2 and the immersion trough 1 may be so constructed that they are in fluid communication with one another.

During the treatment time, the treatment liquid is inserted through one of the journals 17, passes into the interior 18 of the drum 3 which, because of the use of the displacing body 19 (FIGS. 2 and 3), has a relatively small volumetric space for receipt of the liquid. Through the perforations of the outer jacket of the drum 3, the liquid penetrates into the wound-up fabric 20 and, from there, passes into the storage container 2.

From the storage container, the liquid is extracted and again introduced into the interior 18 of the material drum 3 through the feed journal 17.

During winding of the fabric 4 on the drum 3, the rollers and 16 are positioned as shown in solid lines in FIG. 1', whereas, these rollers are pivoted to the position shown in broken lines during unwinding. in this way, these rollers serve as guides for the fabric when advancing in either direction. By way of example, we have shown the fabric 4 passing across a suction tube 21, upon removal from the drum, and fed to a fabric laying mechanism 22.

It is also possible to remove the fabric from the storage container through the immersion trough, should a further rinsing procedure of the material be desired.

It will be seen that we have contributed a novel method and apparatus according to which the forces created in a fabric during wetting are free to act prior to winding the material on a drum or beam so that same are unrestricted by. the wound-up configuration.

We believe that our novel method and apparatus will now be fully understood, and that the advantages thereof will be fully appreciated by those persons skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a storage container, a drum rotatably supported in said container for receiving material to be treated, an immersion trough for treatment material associated with said container, and means for advancing the material to be treated, after passage through said trough, for winding same onto the surface of said drum, said means for advancing the material being arranged to maintain same beneath the level of fluid medium in said con tainer.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the immersion trough is in fluid communication with the storage container.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a horizontally extending material deviation roller (12) is provided between said container and trough around the longitudinal axis of which two deviating rollers (l5, l6) situated at different levels and coupled with each other by means of lappets (l3, 14) may be swivelled.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising: a storage container, a drum mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis in said container for receiving material to be treated on its jacket, an immersion trough in fluid flow communication with said container, and means guiding the material to be treated through said trough and onto the surface of said drum.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein means are pivotally mounted to guide the material between the immersion trough and the drum when in one position, and from the drum directly to take-up means when pivoted to a second position. 

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a storage container, a drum rotatably supported in said container for receiving material to be treated, an immersion trough for treatment material associated with said container, and means for advancing the material to be treated, after passage through said trough, for winding same onto the surface of said drum, said means for advancing the material being arranged to maintain same beneath the level of fluid medium in said container.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the immersion trough is in fluid communication with the storage container.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a horizontally extending material deviation roller (12) is provided between said container and trough around the longitudinal axis of which two deviating rollers (15, 16) situated at different levels and coupled with each other by means of lappets (13, 14) may be swivelled.
 4. Apparatus of the class described comprising: a storage container, a drum mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis in said container for receiving material to be treated on its jacket, an immersion trough in fluid flow communication with said container, and means guiding the material to be treated through said trough and onto the surface of said drum.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein means are pivotally mounted to guide the material between the immersion trough and the drum when in one position, and from the drum directly to take-up means when pivoted to a second position. 